THIS WEEK

 

28:  Daniel Smit, who is accused of killing 13-year-old Jerobejin van Wyk in the Western Cape, has been found guilty.

 

28: Minister of International Relations & Co-operation Ronald Lamola will host his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, Minister of Foreign Affairs, for political consultations (Pretoria).

 

29: Former Zimbabwean MP Dexter Nduna expected in court on charges of illegally collecting vehicle parking fees from motorists (Chegutu).

  

29: The Windhoek Oktoberfest is set to open the taps on the last weekend of October. Namibia Breweries Limited launched the annual German beer festival in Windhoek last week.

 

29: South African musicians Zolani Mahola and Jesse Clegg will make their Carnegie Hall debuts (New York).

 

29: Botswana holds general elections. Batswana living abroad, election officials, the police, and the army cast their votes on Sunday. Jeff Siamisang, Botswana Independent Electoral Commission secretary, said 1 038 275 people registered to vote. That is 112 800 more than in 2019. There are 2 032 diaspora voters in this election.

 

1: Closing ceremony of the 16th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. COP16 marks the first biodiversity conference since the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, a pivotal global agreement aimed at halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030 (Cali, Colombia).

  

1: Former SA President Jacob Zuma will appeal the ANC's national disciplinary committee decision to fire him (Johannesburg).

 

1:  Wayne Duvenhage, founder and CEO of the corruption-busting Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) will address South Africa's current attempts to get corruption under control. He will speak about whether he believes SA is in a better place post the state capture years of the Jacob Zuma presidency. He will also reflect on what motivates and animates corruption and what the options are for citizens who want to stop the rot (Cape Town).

2: BMW Art Generation which aims to protect the future of African art (Krugersdorp)

  

OTHER:

  

* A senior UN official in Sudan says she is deeply troubled by reports of ‘atrocious crimes’ in the central Gezira state, including the mass killing of civilians by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Clementine Nkweta-Salami's comments came after an activist group said that at least 124 people were killed by the RSF in attacks on villages over the past week. The 18-month conflict in Sudan has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than 11m.

 

* A San Francisco startup, Pembient, is using biotechnology to 3D print fake rhino horns that match the real ones in genetic makeup. Their plan is to flood the Chinese market, where the demand for rhino horns has driven poaching to critical levels, with these synthetic alternatives. By selling these horns at a much lower price, about one-eighth of what poachers would get for real ones, they aim to make poaching less profitable, potentially saving rhinos from extinction.

 

* South Africa's most expensive television show to date earned its hefty price tag with the first season of Shaka iLembe, which won 12 awards at the 18th South African Film and Television Awards, while Netflix's Yoh!, Christmas and Showmax's Outlaws both netted eight Golden Horns each in second place. The awards ceremonies were held on Friday and Saturday in Midrand, Johannesburg.

 

*  The Lesotho Highlands Water Project tunnel maintenance operations are currently going according to plan since the tunnel shutdown on 1 October. The maintenance operations are undertaken by the Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority on the South African side, while the Lesotho Highlands Development Agency (Agency) is undertaking maintenance on the tunnel supply water to Muela Hydro power station in Lesotho. The tunnel is scheduled to reopen on 31 March 2025.

 

* A women’s development and empowerment organisation is calling on African women, including Namibians, to submit their artwork for the African Women in Art Awards. The visual art competition that celebrates the immense creativity of women artists from Sub-Saharan Africa. This project is part of the Kalingalinga Girls NGO. In the latest call for submissions on 1 November, Dubeykovska said the awards would offer African women international exposure, as their work would be showcased in galleries across Africa, Europe, and beyond. Shortlisted candidates will be announced on 1 December, and winners will be revealed on 1 February 2025.

 

* The Grand Egyptian Museum has announced the start of trial operations of its main galleries, offering visitors an exclusive preview of 12 meticulously curated exhibition halls. This trial phase is part of the museum's ongoing efforts to ensure a seamless visitor experience ahead of its highly anticipated official opening. This phase marks another step forward for the GEM, following the successful soft openings of select areas, including private tours and events since November 2022.

 

* Royal Caribbean International is set to offer cruises to Africa onboard the Voyager of the Seas in late 2025. Sailing from Spain to South Africa, the first cruise will depart from Barcelona on 27 October next year. Before arriving in Cape Town in mid-November, the 14-night voyage will visit destinations in Morocco, the Canary Islands, Senegal and Namibia. From Cape Town, the Voyager of the Seas is set to offer a 17-night cruise to Singapore, after which it will pick up its original schedule, sailing to Brisbane for a winter cruise season in Australia.

  

* Three West African countries run by military juntas will be launching a new biometric passports as part of their withdrawal from the wider regional bloc Ecowas. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, whose military leaders took over power in series of coups between 2020 and 2023, announced their plan to leave the bloc in January.